Windrows are typically rounded at their lateral margins and progressively slope down from a maximum height at the center to a minimum height at their edges. Consequently, the finished bale tends to be larger in the center than at its opposite ends. To correct this tendency, more material can be added to the outer edges of the windrow, such as by laying down a pair of windrows side-by-side to produce one large "double windrow". However, adding a second windrow alongside the first sometimes causes the windrow to be over-width, so that a standard pickup cannot reach the widest portions of the windrow unless it is equipped with gathering wheels or other suitable devices. Such products converge and consolidate the materials while they are still on the ground, just ahead of and before engagement by the pickup. Another way of providing the capability of handling wide windrows is to design the baler for two-stage feeding from the ground to the baling chamber. In this approach the pickup serves as the first stage of the feeding mechanism and is made overly wide, compared to the bale chamber, so that the pickup can easily reach and accept all portions of the wide windrow. Once picked up, the crop is then converged toward the center by suitable mechanism such as a pair of oppositely disposed stub augers before the materials are then delivered into the baling chamber by the second stage stuffing forks or other feeder. However, currently available two-stage balers with this type of over-width capability sometimes have difficulties in making the critical transfer of material from the pickup to the stuffer mechanism. Not only is the loose material leaving the control of one positive feeding element and moving to another at this point, but also the wide, outboard margins of the stream are being fed centrally and merged into the main body of flow in this same region, which makes it difficult for the second feeder to take control of the outboard materials, tends to create turbulence, and causes over-crowding. The problem is compounded in high moisture conditions. Sometimes, plugging occurs.